Endurance History: 2007, Part III, Our First 100 Mile AERC Competition: Tevis and More

Our First 100 Mile AERC* Competition:  The Tevis Cup*, 2007

Next:  Virginia City 100 mile, 2007.

Swinging Bridge, Tevis, 2007
 

I have not written a post related to my past endurance competition history for a few months. Now that I am back at it, I realize that writing this blog about my last few races of my first year of AERC competitions in 2007 are huge events.  Two challenging 100 mile races and ending the season with a two day, 50 miles a day competition. 

My/Our First Tevis Attempt

If you read back in my previous blogs regarding my endurance history, I state that my first competition was a LD (limited distance) ride in August, 2006, and my horse, Caartouche CS (Rio) and I were both newbies to endurance.  I had read everything I found about the 100 mile endurance ride, The Tevis Cup  (Tevis), and I decided to enter it in 2007 after having a 100% completion rate our first year (9 AERC 50 mile+ races at that point) and being able to complete the two-day Tevis educational ride a month prior to Tevis.

Tevis is one of my favorite AERC rides/races.  I live in the Eastern Sierras in Mammoth Lakes, CA., and Tevis is practically in my backyard. 

We finished!  Not only did we finish, we finished strong.  16th place out of  183 riders that year.  Tevis has about 50% completion rate every year.  I figured that one of the reasons I placed so well was probably because 30+ horses were pulled at the vet checks who were riding ahead of me.  Tevis is an extremely challenging trail.  It is considered the most difficult endurance race in the world.  100 miles in 24 hours, including all of the holds and vet checks.

Rio and I finished Tevis with only a 1 crew person:  my wonderful husband, Peter.  Besides having a conditioned horse, I was also in good condition that year.  I was a runner and ran distances/races from  10k's to (2) marathons.  Unfortunately, when I was riding the Tevis educational ride, I sprained my left ankle when I was off my horse jogging down one of the canyons.  Because of this, I could not get off my horse at all in the canyons during the actual ride/race.  To this day, I still have issues with my left ankle.

Besides Rio and I both being in good condition, I was VERY organized for this event.  I had lists for each major vet check on what was needed, and I went over them in detail with Pete.  Before starting Tevis, I had already decided I would not be going over Cougar Rock.  I would take the alternate trail.  I know why people ride up and over Cougar Rock, but my thought, especially after taking the alternate route is-really?  Also, my horse has steel shoes which makes for less traction.

My favorite parts of riding (and completing-Yay!) Tevis that year:

1.  Having a well conditioned horse and being able to enter Tevis.

2.  Nothing seriously bad happening to my horse ("Tevis Gremlins") after entering Tevis and prior to arriving.

3.  Being at Robbie Park in Truckee and going through the pre-ride events: getting my rider packet, checking out all the vendors, vetting in, going to the ride meeting, and seeing friends.

4.  Going through the high country (first section/36 miles), especially after the first 10 miles or so from the start, which is congested and DUSTY on the (mostly) single track trail.

5.  Taking Rio down to the American river below the swinging bridge (in the canyons) to take a 5 to 10 minute break and letting Rio drink and cooling him off with the refreshing, cold, river water before our next climb out of the canyon. 

6.   The wonderful and amazing volunteers at this race.   Crew are not allowed for most of the many vet checks, but they are not needed.  For each vet check that I arrived at, I had a personnel crew of 1 to 4 volunteers.  Someone sponging my horse down on the right and someone on the left.  Someone holding my horse for me if I needed to use the restroom.  Someone offering me watermelon or some other refreshing nourishment.  Someone offering my horse mash.  I had my own pit crew! The volunteers at Tevis are one of the major perks of attending this race.  I appreciate it very much.  Thank you so much all you wonderful volunteers!

7.   Riding into the Foresthill vet check. People are lined up in the street 1/2 mile or so and cheering all the horses and riders in.  Endurance racing is not much of a spectator sport since we are out there in the wilderness. This is one of the few times where I have seen spectators. 

8.  Riding the last section, from Foresthill to Auburn, when the sun goes down and I was riding at night.  That was magical for me.  Mainly single track, a full moon but lots of trees with shadows.

I could not see the trail. I had glow sticks on Rio's breast collar, and I rode with a headlamp in case I needed it for an emergency, but I never needed to turn it on.  Horses can see at night, but lights hinder their sight.  Rio was flying down the trail at a fast trot, and I did not steer him.  If I did, where I thought the trail went at times would of been off a cliff.  Instead, I just focused on centering myself, and I did not look or lean in any direction.  I had to trust him completely. Not only did Rio keep us moving fast and correctly on the trail, he missed most of the rocks!

And then we finished and past the final vet check.  Finish time was 1:25 a.m.  At that time, there were no spectators at Auburn stadium watching the horses who finished.   That did not matter.  My husband/crew was there for me, and my good friend, mentor, Dick Dawson was there as well. Dick had volunteered that year, which is what he and his wife, Carolyn, to just about every year, except when Dick is riding the Tevis.

I love my horse.  I had Rio in a paddock with many of the other horses at the Auburn Fairgrounds, and every time I checked on him he was eating.  I had done so many multi-day rides with Rio that year prior to Tevis, I think he was thinking that he better eat and drink as much as he could in case we were doing another endurance ride the next day.  Most of the other horses all around him were laying down sleeping. 

It was a bit hard for me taking care of my own horse without a crew.  My husband helped me in many ways by driving to the two major vet checks and then to Auburn and setting everything up for when we arrived, but I took care of my horse.  It was ok.  The experience made me stronger. 

I give some of the credit for the successful completion to myself, but really, it was Rio who did it.  I just didn't screw it up.  I am lucky to have a horse who loves doing what I love to do. I am also lucky to have a non horsey husband who supports what I love to do. 

Today, June, 2014

We now have 2 Tevis completions out of 3 starts.  Rio was in prime condition in 2008, but Tevis was cancelled that year because of the fire that was occurring at that time.  I entered in 2009 and Rio was pulled for lameness at the first vet check at mile 36 at Red Star.  Rio was experiencing an off and on lameness issue that year that was not properly diagnosed by my local vets.  I will be writing in more detail about that in a future blog.  Briefly, Rio was diagnosed in October, 2009 with a suspensory injury.   I successfully rehabbed him and in 2012, I entered Tevis and we had our second successful finish.  A month after Tevis, 2012, Rio got caught up in barbed wire and had a horrific injury to his right hind leg.  15 months of rehab for that one, which I will be writing more about in another future blog.  In January of this year, we entered and completed a 50 mile AERC race and had a successful finish.  We had another successful endurance race in April.   We are entered in 2 of the 3 days of the upcoming Wild West ride this weekend, 6/20 and 6/21.  If Rio does well, I am thinking of entering Tevis again this year for our fourth attempt.

Virginia City 100, September, 2007

I entered and completed the Virginia City 100 mile race 6 weeks after Tevis in September, 2007.   That ride was more challenging for me than Tevis.  It is very rocky.  The most difficult part for me was coming back and leaving base camp 2 times.  Once is not too bad, but the second time arriving at basecamp at 9:30 p.m., neither Rio nor I were feeling enthusiastic about going back out for another 30+/- miles.  We finished at 2:30 a.m.  My favorite races, whether it is 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles, is either one big loop with out vet checks, or point to point like Tevis.  Although this race is not on my list to ride every year, I most definitely want to attempt it again.  The last time I rode it was their 40th anniversary.  If my horse is ok to go, I think I will attempt it again on their 50th anniversary.  Rio will be 17. 

High Dessert, Two Day 50's.
 

We did 2 days of 50 miles a day at the High Desert race in October, 2007 for 2 more successful completions to end out the year.  13 starts and13 finishes. We had done this same 2 day race the previous year.  This time, we had our warm camper to sleep in.  Rio felt great.  We finished in the top 10 both days.  Sorry about the below photo.  I don't know how to switch the orientation. 
 

 

Moving On Down The Trail

 

 



* The links below are  helpful/informative to learn more about AERC and the Tevis Cup.

 

1.  AERC (American Endurance Riding Conference):

http://www.aerc.org/

2.  The Tevis Cup:

http://www.teviscup.org/

3.  Excellent Google Map video of the Tevis Trail (thanks to Endurance.Net)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs&feature=plcp

 

 

 



2014 AERC Ride Season: Our First Two 50 Mile Competitions

Fire Mountain I, Ridgecrest, CA

January 18, 2014

Earlier this year I started a blog writing about my endurance riding history, which started in 2006.  I am not caught up to the present yet, but I want to write about my current AERC competitions that my horse, Rio, and I  have entered this year.  Our first ride of the season was the Fire Mountain I 50 mile competition in Ridgecrest, CA, which is located about 2 1/2 hours from where I board Rio.

This ride/race was very emotional for me because it was the first ride that we attempted since Rio's barbed wire injury in August, 2012.   I will be writing about the injury and rehab process in detail in one of my endurance history blogs.  Here is a photo of his wound about 2 months after the initial injury.  You can see healing taking place, but in this photo proud flesh had developed and I took him back to the vet to get it cut off.  4 months of full leg wrap.

15 months later, we were  back at it with a great ride and completion!  Wow-Rio never felt so good.  He felt more powerful and forward than ever.  Another really nice thing about finishing this ride is that this is the first ride that Rio got pulled (for a cramp in his hindquarters) in 2008.  We were able to finish the ride this time.  Yay Rio-we're back!

Nevada Derby I, Washoe Valley, NV

April 5, 2014

 

 The Nevada Derby I and II took place this last weekend.  Rio and I rode 50 miles on Day 1, April 5, 2014. I normally would of rode the second day 50 as well, but neither Rio or I are in condition (yet) to do a 2 day 100 miler. 

The ride location for this competition is normally in a different part of Nevada, but they changed it this year to Washoe Valley, NV.  where the Washoe Valley AERC rides take place in the first weekend of May.  The ride managers of the Washoe Valley ride, Gina Hall and Connie Creech, had posted that they would be taking this year off from managing the Washoe rides, so the rides were cancelled for this year.  This is the reason I decided to enter the Nevada Derby.  I love this ride location.  It is about 3 hours from where I board my horse.  The trails are challenging with a lot of hills, and the scenery is beautiful. 

Peter and I arrived at ridecamp about 4 p.m. and parked in a place that we have set up our camp before that we love.  Since I only have one horse,  he is most comfortable when he can see some of the other horses camping.  We were parked where he could see other horses, including one right next to us. 

The weather Friday evening was cool and windy.  We had about 10 minutes of light rain that changed to snow.  The sky was beautiful and dramatic.  

Unfortunately, the photo came out blurry.

When I did the pre-ride vet check,  the vet said that Rio had taken a few bad steps on his front right on the trot out.  Rio has always received a grade of A in every category on his pre-ride vet checks.  I was now worried and I had reason to be.  Rio had been reshod about 2 weeks earlier, and for the first time in the 9 years that I have owned him, he was lame when I went to ride him 3 days later.  I trot him out before I tack him up, and he did not want to trot.  Not normal. I did get him to trot out, and he was off on both his right and left front.  That was Saturday.  I called my farrier, Troy, to give him a heads up and left a voice mail message.  I have an excellent farrier.  My horse has never lost a shoe or been sore from getting his trims and new shoes (prior to this last time). Troy and his wife came out on their day off, on Sunday morning.  Troy took Rio's front shoes off and replaced the pads with Equipedic and put the shoes back on.  I went to check on Rio Sunday afternoon to hand walk him and turn him out, and he was 110%.  No more lameness.  I rode him lightly on Wednesday and Thursday and he was 100%.  I felt confident taking him to the endurance competition, that is, until the pre-ride vet check. 
Well, there was no need to worry. Rio felt fantastic the whole day and received A's on the 2 vet checks as well as the final vet check on his trot outs. 

We had an incredible ride.  It was a beautiful day with cool temperatures with a high of about 55 and little wind.  Many people clip their horses this time of year, at least a partial clip.  I did not clip Rio because I am not planning on doing a lot of endurance competitions this year.  The next planned race is at the end of May, and he will shed out his Winter coat by then.  So, I was happy with the weather conditions being on the cooler side.  The scenario was outstanding.  Beautiful views of Washoe Lake below after our climb, with snow on the Sierra Mountains on the other side of the valley. 

Rio is normally a very ratable horse, but I have had a hard time rating him these last 2 races.  Our normal pace is faster.  We do not  normally race to win or top 10, but we used to place in the top 10 often because of the pace we went.  I say I pace my horse-not race my horse.  However, because Rio had not done an endurance competition for 1 1/2 years, I was pacing him slower than usual for these first few competitions.  Rio was not agreeable.  A lot of head tossing and pulling on the first loop.  It wore me out.  My wonderful, awesome husband surprised me by being at the vet check when we arrived and helped me out a lot.  I normally take care of my horse and my self on vet checks, but it was very helpful to have Peter help me out on the 1 hour lunch break.  After taking care of Rio(vetting in, going back to our camp, taking Rio's tack off and giving him his lunch), I went and got the lunch that management provided along with a big glass of lemonade.  I think it was the lemonade that revived me.  I also wore my camelback on the 2nd and 3rd loops and drank a lot of water.  I felt back to normal leaving on the 2nd loop and felt strong the rest of the day.

Rio was back to his ratable self going out on the 2nd loop.  One of the best things I liked about this ride were the people I rode with off and on.  Everyone I caught up to or who caught up to me, were riding their own ride.  We rode with each other for awhile, had some nice chats, and then I moved on or they did.  Sometimes I caught up to others I had been riding with.  Sometimes others I had been riding with caught up with me.  None of us tried to keep up with anyone.  There were 2 riders in particular that I rode with off and on that day who I especially appreciated.  Michael, who I've known most of my endurance life, who is the father of Rachel, who I sponsored a lot as a junior one year and Lisa, who I had never met.  I met her on Friday evening because she was camping next to us with her one horse.  Both of us were riding conservatively on Saturday, and by the second loop we were headed out at the same time.  She is one of the most thoughtful, polite, experienced, smart, riders who I have been privileged to ride along with, for awhile. I loved watching her and her horse, Sammy, move on down the trail.  That horse seemed to be full of joy moving along with his ears pointed forward. Perky!.  I love seeing horses ridden by riders riding within their horse's limits, which includes doing endurance in the first place.  Endurance horses should love what they do as much as us endurance riders love it.  IMO, Lisa and Sammy are on the same page.  I heard a few days later that Lisa and Sammy came in 1st place the next day on the 50 and Sammy received the BC (best condition) award! 

I was also able to see and visit with some previous friends who I have met through endurance. It was especially great to see Michael, Amber, Gina, Dan, and ride photographers Renny and Bill.  A big thank you to the ride management, vets, and wonderful volunteers at this ride. 

Both Rio and I finished strong.  We came in 24th out of 93 riders.  I felt much better at the end of the race compared to how I felt at the end of loop 1, and Rio ate and drank like the champion he is when we were done.  His overall vet score at completion was an A with an A+ for gut sounds. This horse knows how to take care of himself!

 

 

 

Endurance History: Picking Out Our Camper

Our rig, camper roof down for traveling.

We started researching a new truck and camper to purchase towards the end of 2006.  Peter had been wanting to get a new used truck for awhile.  In the beginning of 2007, he found a truck that he liked and he purchased it.  A 2001 white Dodge (Cummins) 2500 Ram Truck. (Yah, I know, like every other truck you will see at an endurance ride.)

We live approximately 3 hours away from Reno, NV., and we go up there a few times a year for various reasons.  Sometime in early 2007 we took a trip to Reno to go to a R.V. show where a lot of different camper brands would be displayed. 

Pete had already decided that he wanted a pop-up camper versus a full size camper.  We had also already decided that we wanted a bumper pull  horse trailer versus a live aboard rig or a motor home, and I had already purchased my horse trailer in June, 2006.  I bought a 2 horse slant load Circle J aluminum bumper pull horse trailer.  We had decided we wanted a camper versus another type of rig because besides endurance riding, we like to go camping (without the horse). 

In Reno, we saw a lot of different pop up models at the show, but neither of us really liked what we saw.  They were all so small, not much bigger than our camper shell.  We did more online research when we got home, and Peter found a pop-up camper that he was really impressed with called Hallmark.  They are only sold where they are made in Colorado.  However, the owners/makers of the Hallmark campers would be at a sports expo a few weeks away in Sacramento, CA, so we drove over to check it out.  Peter's brother, sister-in-law and nephew live in Sacramento.  We stayed with them and had a nice visit. 

We both fell in love with the Hallmark pop-ups.  It was a done deal.  In the next few weeks we finalized our order.  Besides choosing which model we wanted, there were other choices to make such as choosing between an oven or a microwave.  We choose an oven.  In March 07, Peter drove the new used truck to Colorado and came home with the camper on it.

Here is the link for Hallmark campers:
http://www.hallmarkrv.com/
This is the model that we purchased:
http://www.hallmarkrv.com/campers/cuchara/

We love this camper so much.  First of all, it is such a luxury for my endurance rides.  It is roomy inside when the roof is raised.  Pete, our dog, Hana, and I are very comfortable in it.  We change the table area into a bed and that is where we hang out when we aren't sleeping or outside.  That is where Hana sleeps at night too.  It has forced air heating! Do you know how nice it is to be able to turn on the heat and warm up a place before getting out of a cozy, warm bed at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m.?  And to take a hot shower after riding 50+ miles?  Complete luxury!  The bathroom is small.  I have room to stand up and put the shower hose over me to shower.  Very quickly army style as to not waste water.    The walls of the bathroom fold up and down for when the roof comes down.  One of the best features of this camper are the two large windows on one side.  I am showing photos of the camper that are from endurance rides as well as various camping trips that Pete and I have taken.  Here is the whole set up with the horse trailer and the camper's roof raised. It goes up 12 inches.  It is also the only pop-up camper that  has a roof that raises up and down with a motor.  We just have to turn on a switch.

Roof Down

                                                                               Roof Up

Hanging Out Inside the Camper

 

2007 Endurance History Highlights:  Part II

Caartouche CS, 2014

Unfortunately, I did not have a camera to take photos of the first few (5+!) years of my endurance riding life. 

 

Briefly:
Twenty Mule Team 65 mile 2/3/07
Great ride out of Ridgecrest, CA, managed by Robert and Melissa Ribley.  There is also a 35 mile limited distance (LD) ride and a 100 mile ride.  The 65 mile is one big loop with out vet checks.

Eastern Sierra Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 mile (Days 1 and 2) 2/17/07 and 2/18/07
Another great XP ride.  What I remember most about this ride is that we had sold our truck and shell and purchased a new used truck,  but we had not yet purchased a camper.  We had planned on tent camping. We brought all of our camping gear, but we forgot the tent!  Woops.  It actually worked out better because a wind storm started the evening before the ride with gusts so huge that it was hard to see because of the dust flying.  We slept in the truck bed, which gave us a bit of protection from the wind.  Sleeping in the tent in the wind storm would have been extremely uncomfortable with the tent flapping all night long.  The wind kept up for the first hour of the ride and then calmed down. Both days of this ride were one big loop (different trails) with an out vet check/lunch hold.  This is a 3 day ride (4 day ride now/2014), but I had to leave on Sunday after the ride/race because I had to be at work on Monday.

AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) Yearly Convention, Reno, NV 3/7/07
It is very convenient for me that most years the yearly AERC convention is located in Reno, NV, which is just a 3 hour drive from where I live.  AERC holds it in Reno a lot because their office is located in Auburn, CA, which is close to Reno.  I learned a lot in the seminars I attended and purchased a few things at the trade show.  Approximately a month before the convention, my friend/mentor, Dick Dawson advised me that the Tevis ride management was going to hold its' first educational ride approximately one month before the actual ride.  There would be a limited number of riders who could do this ride and management was going to start taking entries at the AERC convention.  I was able to get in!  I will be writing more about the Tevis ride in my next Blog/post, but briefly,  Tevis is a 100 mile ride/race that takes place on the Western States Trail from Truckee to Auburn, CA. It is the oldest endurance ride and considered the most difficult one in the world.  Like all 100 mile AERC competitions, it must be completed under 24 hours, including all the holds.  It was my goal to enter and complete Tevis, but I had not planned on doing it in 2007 because I wanted more experience with my horse (this was my first full year competing in endurance for both myself and my horse).  I decided since I would be able to do the educational ride, that I would sign up for Tevis that year if the educational ride went well. 

Rides of March 50 mile, 3/17/07
I can not remember much about this ride.  Another successful finish.

Square Nail 50, 4/7/07
Same as above (Rides of March)

Washoe Valley I and II 50 mile, 5/17/07 and 5/17/07
I love this ride!  Two days, but you can only ride one day if you want.  I really like the 2+ day competitions because I get more bang for my buck.  The ride entries are the same each day, but I save a lot on gas money.  Also, it makes a horse stronger if riding conservatively. The trail both days are quite challenging, with a lot of steep hills to climb.  The base camp is located near a lake, and there are facilities to take showers.  The ride managers, Connie Creech and Gina Hall are outstanding horsewoman and put on a great ride weekend.  The evening meals are excellent and the completion prizes are great.  Wonderful vets and volunteers as well.  A+.  Many thank to these women!

Tevis Educational Ride, June 2007
The educational ride took place over 2 days.  The first night we camped at Robinson's Flat, which is the second vet check and the first 1 hour hold at mile 36 of the official Tevis Cup AERC ride.   We would be riding the last 2 sections of the Tevis/Western States Trail over 2 days.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and attended the educational seminars, which were extremely helpful.   There was a choice of 3 rider groups to ride with:  Fast pace, moderate pace, and slower pace.  I rode in the fast pace group.  We were told that if our horse took longer to pulse down at the vet checks than the others, we would need to wait for the next group and ride with them.  I rode with the faster paced group because  my horse and I had consistently been finishing in the top 20.  This was not an AERC competition, but the educational ride had vet checks to make sure the horses were fit to continue and to get the riders and horses familiar with the Tevis vetting procedure.  The first day we rode approx. 35 miles from Robinson Flat to Foresthill (the canyons). We had more educational seminars and a great dinner that night.  The next day we rode the last section of Tevis, approx. 35 miles, from Foresthill to Auburn. It was incredibly helpful to be able to pre-ride this trail before attempting our first competitive Tevis.  My horse and I both did great, and I sent in my Tevis entry when we arrived home.  The  Tevis ride date that year was on 7/28/07, 4 weeks away!

Today, Thursday, 4/3/14
I am getting caught up in my endurance history blog, and today I am organizing and packing for our 2nd 50 mile endurance competition of the season, which is this Saturday, 4/5/14.  I am competing  on day 1 of the 2 day rides of the Nevada Derby. The link is below.  I was not planning on doing this ride.  I was planning on riding 1 or 2 days of the Washoe Valley I and II rides, which are held the first weekend in May.  The ride managers of Washoe Valley have decided to take this year off.  The Nevada Derby has changed their normal ride location in Lemmon Valley, NV. to the Washoe Valley ride location.  This is the reason I decided to do it.  It is also the first test of the NASTR Triple Crown.  The second test is the NASTR 75 mile ride at the end of May, and the last test is the 100  mile Virginia City ride in September.  At this point, I don't have the goal to do the triple crown this year, but I may change my mind.  My main goal this year is to ride Tevis again. 

I am excited about this ride.  We leave tomorrow.
http://www.aerc.org/Calendar/2014NevadaDerby.pdf

 

  

Endurance History: 2007 AERC Ride Highlights Part 1 Death Valley Encounter and Why I love XP Rides

 

 

 I did a lot of AERC competitions in 2007.  13 starts and 13 finishes, including two 100 mile endurance rides. I will be writing a few posts about my endurance riding experiences from this year.
Part I
12/30/06 Death Valley Encounter 50 (Day 3)
12/31/06 Death Valley Encounter 50 (Day 4)

Part II
2/3/07  Twenty Mule Team 65
2/17/07  Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 (Day 1)
2/18/07  Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 (Day 2)
3/07  AERC convention in Reno, NV.
3/17/07  Rides of March 50
4/7/07    Square Nail 50
5/12/07 Washoe Valley I 50
5/13/07  Washoe Valley II 50

Part III
 6/07   Tevis Educational Ride
7/28/07  Western States Endurance Ride (Tevis) 100
9/15/07  Virginia City 100
10/20/07 High Desert I 50
10/21/07 High Desert II 50

I have absolutely no photos that I took this year. 

12/30/06 and 12/31/06, Death Valley Encounter 50, days 3 and 4: 

The first time experiencing an XP ride and meeting Dave (the Duck) and Ann Nicholson,

And Why I Love XP Rides.

 

The Death Valley Encounter is one of the many XP rides put on by Dave Nicholson and his wife, Ann.  They are my favorite managed rides besides Tevis, and a few others. Dave is the head vet and head honcho.  Ann is the manager.  When I first met Dave, I was a little scared.  It was not so much when I did the pre-vet in, but the next day on the first vet check.  This was only my 5th AERC competition, and I was used to the vet cards being filled out with the vets giving my horse a "grade" of A's or B's.  It does not work that way with Dave.  After my first vet check experience with Dave, he commented something like "he's OK",  and that is what is marked on the vet card.  When I left from the lunch hold, I remember commenting to someone that I was worried that my horse was only "OK".  The person reassured me that that response was good/normal.  Your horse with Dave is either going to be "OK", or he's going to say something like, "I've got to talk to you about your horse".  After riding the two days of this ride, I decided that I thought that Dave was OK too. 

 

Dave is OK, but Ann is great!  She is so personable and positive and helpful and nice!  I have done many XP rides, and after this first ride, Dave and Ann remembered me.  They remembered my name!  They pretty much remember most riders names it seems.  I think when Dave remembers me, he is probably thinking something like, "Jennifer, that rider who rides her horse too fast."

Dave is actually more than OK.  I have learned a lot from him in what he wants XP riders to know and use, which is that we (riders) are responsible for our horses-not the vets, at rides.  Know your horse.  Know the indicators of when you need to slow down, etc.  Dave encourages riders to be better horseman and horsewoman.   I am fortunate to of gotten involved in XP rides with Dave and Ann from the beginning of my AERC endurance education.

 

Here are some of the reasons why I love XP rides:

1.   I have met most of my favorite AERC riders/friends on these rides.

2.   I especially love that the majority of the rides (that I have done) are one big loop with the vet check/lunch hold half way out.  This is my favorite type of ride, along with point to point.  Some rides come back to base camp for the vet check/lunch hold and then the second loop is different trail, but it is usually not more than 2 loops total with one vet check/lunch hold during the ride. 

3.  The atmosphere is very casual.  There is an emphasis in riding versus racing.  At the starts of the XP rides that I have done, we are all walking!  There are very few pulls on XP rides because most riders are riding conservatively. 

4.   The trails/rides are located in scenic, beautiful, historical places.



I rode the last 2 days of the Death Valley Encounter due to the fact that these were the only days I could ride due to work.  This is one of my favorite rides, and the only reason I have not done it every year since 2006 is either work related, or if my horse was injured.  It is only approximately 3 1/2 hours from where I board my horse in Bishop, CA., and the weather is usually pleasant in D.V. this time of the year (not always!).  There is also a great dinner provided on the last night, which is New Year's Eve, and then the awards for the four day competitors are awarded.  Then the party continues on until midnight to celebrate New Year's Eve for those that want to stay up that late. 

Here are some very good links regarding XP rides:

1.  http://xprides.com/

2.  http://xprides.com/ride-entry/riding-and-racing/

3.  http://xprides.com/ride-entry/veterinary-pre-ride-info/

Endurance History: Our First (2 day) Multi-Day Ride and The Benefits of Post Margarita(s): High Desert I and II. October, 2006

At the end of October, 2006,  I entered and completed my first two day 50 mile endurance rides, the High Desert I and II near Lake Lahaton in Northern Nevada.  In AERC, a true multi-day ride (for awards purposes in the pioneer division)  is 3 or more days of riding.  However, I still consider riding 2 days in a row a multi-day ride-because it is.
I have no photos at all from this ride.  I do have the photos I purchased from the ride photographer, but I don't have a scanner to put them on my computer.  Maybe someday in the future I will get one. 

I will just post a few random photos since a blog without photos is not very interesting. 

 

OK.  I suppose I should at least keep it related to horses. 

Caartouche with neighbors at his previous summer/fall home.

 

Anyways, two highlights that come to mind regarding the High Desert I and II rides besides some general stuff.

1)   It was really cold for me camping with the camper shell.

2)   The first time I met and rode with Peggy Davidson and her horse, Dakota.

  

Prior to entering this ride and deciding if I wanted to ride 2 days, I spoke to my friends/mentors, Dick and Carolyn Dawson.  I wanted to ride 2 days versus 1 day, but I was not sure if my horse was up to it.  Their advise was that if you ride slow, a 2 day endurance ride will make a horse get stronger. 

 

The ride was at the end of October, and although the daytime temps were fair, the evenings and early mornings were freezing.  It also got dark early and since we were there for 2 nights, there was not a lot for Pete and I to do when the sun went down.  There was a really nice, large, hot campfire for the dinner and ride meeting, but that only lasted so long.  After the ride meeting, Pete and I went and hung out in the front seat of our truck with the motor running for awhile with the heat on.  I slept just fine; warm and cozy in my sleeping bag in the truck shell.

 

I don't have Peter get up to help me in the mornings, so he continued sleeping while I got up and took care of my horse and myself.  My crew bag, etc. and other organization had all been done the evening before.  I fed Caartouche (Rio).  The water in his water bucket had froze, so I dealt with that and put fresh water in.  We had a portable table set up with our camp stove, etc. on it.  I put some water in the kettle to heat up for my coffee.  I poured some milk in my cereal to eat, but the milk froze.  (I learned  after this that  a good thing to bring to eat for breakfast on cold mornings is instant oatmeal.)  I sat in the front of the truck drinking my nice, hot coffee while Rio ate his breakfast. 

 

I started tacking up Rio.  I put the saddle on him. When I went to put the breast collar on him, I had to unclasp the lead rope from the halter.  I had taken his halter half way off, but still tied to him because I would not be using it once I put the bridle on him.  Well, the first thing that happened is that the clip on the lead rope was frozen shut.  After fiddling with it for a few minutes, I started getting worried because it was time to start in about 5 minutes.  I went over to the shell and woke up Peter and asked him to come and help me because I was having trouble.  I went back to my horse, and I guess I had not tied the halter well.  He was nowhere in site.  I felt panicked.  Luckily, it only lasted about 10 seconds.  Someone was walking towards me with my horse.  He said, "your horse stopped at the first sign of a carrot".  Whew.  So scary for me. Not just because of my horse's safety, but I have heard of the damage that loose horses can cause to others.  But all was fine.

 

I really liked this ride.  Very nice, well marked trails with good footing in a historical and beautiful area, great dinners, volunteers, vets,  ride managers, and base camp.  Also, a lot of really nice riders.  On the first day, about mile 10 or so, I ended up riding with a woman, Peggy Davidson, as we were riding similar paces.  I ended up riding the rest of the race that day with her and her horse, Dakota, as well as the following day. 

 

It was sooo helpful for me riding with an experienced rider.  I learned a lot.  Peggy and her horse had won the AERC National Limited Distance award the previous year.  She explained the controversy regarding  the LD distance versus endurance distance with some AERC members.  Her purpose for riding as many LD rides as she did was to put a good base on him.  And boy did she.  She is one of the few people who compete on only one horse (mostly).  She does a lot of AERC rides, and she rides very conservatively.  She and her horse reached 5000 endurance miles last year!  One of the many great things about Peggy is that she is so open to help educate newbies like me. Plus she is also super fun to ride with.  I learned a lot about the importance of taking good care of our endurance horses as well as good trail etiquette to use while competing, among other things. 

 

I don't think that Peggy and I had planned to ride together the following day.  It just turned out that way.  The start was gnarly.  We had to cross the river.  It was so deep that we had to follow someone leading who would be leading us through the most shallow part of the river.  The water still came up past the horses bellies. I took my feet out of the stirrups and put them behind me on Rio's back so that they would not get wet.   The most difficult part was getting in the river.  It was a bit of a drop off.  By this time, my horse and I had experience crossing creeks in various conditions, but not with this kind of steepness to enter.  It took some coaxing to get my horse in.  Peggy was a few horses behind me, and when she saw my horse's hesitation she came up to where we were and went in front of us and entered the river.   Once she was safely in, she turned her horse around and waited for us.  This helped my horse.  He went in (hesitantly) and the rest of the river crossing was ok.  Pretty exciting actually.  This is what endurance is all about!

 

We had a great day and both of our horses finished successfully.  I was not nearly as sore as I was on my first 50, even though I had now rode 100 miles in two days. 

 

Oh-one more thing I learned.  A margarita or a beer (or both sometimes)  after completing a ride seems to help my body recover somehow.  It also helps to keep moving while I am having my first beverage:  Feeding Rio, organizing, cleaning, and putting away my tack, unpacking and putting stuff away from my crew bag and saddle bags, petting my dog, putting wraps on Rio's legs, walking him every 20 minutes or so, brushing him, etc.  Then I get myself cleaned up and change my clothes and sit down and enjoy my margarita and look and admire my awesome horse (with his mouth constantly in his hay bag chomping down like a good endurance horse-except for breaks to take long gulps of water, then back to the hay bag), who not only carried me on his back for 100 miles in two days, but also seemed to enjoy it as much as I did! 

 

I should also mention that besides the refreshing beverages, my favorite post ride snacks to eat that help to replenish me are celery and peanut butter, hummus with whole wheat pita bread, orange slices and watermelon.   I am a Very good water drinker, and drink (water) consistently throughout the day.  In warmer months, I ride most of my rides with my camelback on. 

 

Lastly,  after this ride, Peter decided we should research getting a camper for our truck.  And so the research began. 

 

So, that was it for our 1st year (starting in 8/06) of AERC competitions: 

1.  Eastern Sierra Classic 30 mile LD (Aug 2006)

2.  Camp Far West 50 (Sept 2006)

3.  High Desert I and II 50's (Oct 2006)

 



 

Endurance History: Our First 50 Mile AERC Competition: Camp Far West. September, 2006.

I live in the West region and most of the AERC competitions that I do are in this region or in the Pacific South region.  

In my previous blog, I wrote about our 1st endurance competition, the Eastern Sierra Classic 30 mile LD, which was in August, 2006.  I was able to ride with an experienced endurance rider/friend, Megan Mulloney.  After that competition, I was mainly on my own as far as having a human riding partner.  Besides my horse, my other very important partner in my endurance journey has been my husband, Peter.  He has gone on every endurance ride with me, doing almost all of the driving (mainly because he does not like how I drive, even though I am not a bad driver) and crewing for me when needed. He now rarely crews for me, unless I am doing a 100 miler, because after my first 2 endurance distance races, I realized that I really did not need him to help me that much on 50 mile races. 

I moved up to the endurance distance of 50 miles the following month.  I entered and completed the 50 mile AERC ride, Camp Far West, in September, 2006.  Most of my ride stories from the past will be on the brief side since they were so long ago.

The only photo I have from our Camp Far West Ride.  

At the finish.

 
One of the things that I remember about this ride is that since I was riding on my own for the first time, I was afraid of going off trail so I made sure that other riders were always in site.  I did not join other groups; I just made sure I could see them ahead of me. Many riders passed me.   One rider did join me for a while.  About mile 7 or so someone caught up to me, and I asked if she wanted to pass.  She said no, and asked if it was OK for her to ride with us (my horse and I) because she liked the pace I was going.  I said, "of course".  She was a polite rider and gave my horse and I a lot of room.  One thing I learned from my first endurance ride the prior month, and riding with someone else, is that we took turns having our horses leading and following.  I asked the woman riding behind me to let me know if she ever wanted to take a turn leading, but she did not want to.  I just rode my own ride, trotting and taking walking breaks, and she followed my pace.   I now realize that some horses are better at following than leading.  I am fortunate in that my horse is great at leading and following.  He also does well when we are alone with no other horses in site.  I'm sure that this is due to the fact that 99% of our conditioning rides are done alone (except for the first 9 months when I was able to ride with my friend, Megan, and her horse).   I have since learned that horses get to relax a bit more when they are following another horse.  At the first vet check, my horse pulsed down ahead of the lady's horse we rode in with, so I left sooner than her on the next loop.  Still being afraid I would miss a ribbon and get lost, I made sure that I was within seeing distance to the 2 riders in front of me.  However, this only lasted for a few miles.  I had a faster pace then them, and I made the brave decision to pass them and hope that I would not get lost.  I did not.

We finished in fine form with a ride time of 6:50.  I went to the trailer and un-tacked Caartouche and cleaned him up and then took him for his completion check.  He passed just fine with a heart rate of 52. 

It is on this ride that I realized that I did not need Peter to help me crew so much in the future.  Because I was nervous about this being my first 50, I was an awful, demanding, Bitchy rider to my husband/crew.  I asked Peter just now how long did he think that behavior lasted because I thought I got better right away, and he laughed quite loudly.  He said I was definitely better after the first 50 miler, but the demanding behavior lasted for 3 to 4 years (this is my 9th year riding endurance).  One thing that I know that I changed after this ride, and Peter agrees, is that I am now very appreciative of his help.  In those first 3 to 4 years, I never asked him to meet me on an out vet check since I could pack my own crew bag.  However, I did want his help meeting me when I came into vet checks at base camp, as well as helping me to get my horse cleaned up sometimes at the end of a race.  

Now, 9 years later, I do 90% of the crewing myself (except the driving to and from the rides).  When we travel to rides that have access for motorcycling, Peter puts his motorcycle dirt bike either in the first horse stall in the horse trailer or on the rack in front of the truck.  I often won't see him until after I have finished my race.

In any case, I love that Peter goes with me on my competitions.  My dog, Hana, comes too.  (Except for Tevis.) 

Here is a photo of Hana and Peter inside our camper.  I will be writing about the purchase of our camper (March, 2007) in one of  my next blogs.  For the first 8 months, we camped/slept in the back of the truck shell.  I don't have any photos of us camping in the shell while on endurance rides.

 

A photo of Peter, Hana, and Caartouche on a later AERC ride. 

 

 After vetting through at the finish, I let my horse eat and drink and rest for a couple hours before heading home.  When I rode the 30 mile LD the previous month, I was hardly sore at all.  After this 50 mile race, I was so sore.  I was even uncomfortable sitting in the passenger seat with the seat as far back as it could go.  I had to crawl in the small back seat of the truck with my dog and lay down.  I can honestly say that that was the most sore I have ever felt.  One thing about doing a lot of endurance riding is that my body got really strong by riding consistently.  For the first 3 years I usually rode at least one endurance ride a month. 

 

We dropped Caartouche off where I board him, and I turned him out and let him roll before putting him in his paddock.  I checked out all his vitals again.  He had been eating, drinking, peeing and pooping regularly, so I went home feeling confident that he had recovered well. 

Yay-we did it.  OK.  What next?